ABSTRACT
Home to four main ethnic groups, the Mekong delta in Vietnam has preserved its ethnically pluralist character amidst processes of pronounced national and global integration. Rather than attribute this diversity to the insularity or conservatism of the delta’s inhabitants, the analysis in this chapter ties such differentiation to the cosmopolitan identity of the delta, seen as a node for the intersection of multiple translocal networks. Each of the Mekong delta’s ethnic groups maintains connections to localities beyond the region, which represent a source and center for cultural renewal. Ethnic difference within the delta is interculturally constructed, the result of intense interactions between members of different networks. The chapter finds that continued globalization is likely to enhance, rather than diminish, the degree of ethnic differentiation in this region of Vietnam.
